Multiservice billing system — a platform for the future

Billing systems are key competitive weapons for telecommunications companies. BT is developing a new generation billing system under the auspices of its Billing 90s programme. The term adopted in this paper for the system is multiservice billing system (MSBS). The paper outlines the strategic business issues which have shaped the design of MSBS. It describes the scale and complexity of the problem which makes the construction of a multiservice platform such a difficult feat of software engineering. The concept of a common product model, which underpins the system‘s design, is introduced. The later sections provide a brief outline of the architecturer‘s physical realisation.